Science meets theater: Reflection on technology and ecology

Together with the “Theater of the Anthropocene,” ITAS will design and implement a theater trilogy at the interface of art and science. The first performances are planned for 2024.
Theaterlichter und Vorhang
Bringing TA topics to the theater stage is the aim of ITAS and the Theater of the Anthropocene. (Image: canva.com)

In order to adequately assess the consequences of technology, technology assessment (TA) has always included the perspective of non-scientific stakeholders – for example, from civil society, industry, or citizens themselves. In recent years, researchers have also increasingly sought to integrate artists into TA activities.

The institute now wants to intensify these efforts and, together with the Theater of the Anthropocene, conceive and implement a series of three plays. The aim of this “TAter” is to address the entire spectrum of ITAS topics, from ecological issues such as urban trees to new and emerging technologies, particularly in the area of the mechanization of life and the living environment.

“Our aim is to cooperate on an equal footing. We see art, or in this case theater, not only as an instrument of science communication but also as a practice that can directly contribute to a gain in knowledge by TA,” says Constanze Scherz, deputy head of ITAS.

“The task of this science theater is to bundle cognitive routines and emotional resources such as humor or amazement with a view to perceived or existing threats in order to generate the future,” says Frank Raddatz, the initiator and director of the Theater of the Anthropocene.

The first play in The Circus of the Trees trilogy will be performed at the end of the 11th Conference of the Network Technology Assessment (NTA) in Berlin on 20 November 2024.

On 11 September 2024, also in cooperation with ITAS, the Theater of the Anthropocene will perform the play The Circus of the Trees on the occasion of the conference of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (GfÖ).

On 20 September 2024, starting at 6 pm, Frank Raddatz will also discuss the topic of “Art and Climate Justice” at the GAIA Talk co-organized by ITAS in the Karlsruhe City Church (Stadtkirche Karlsruhe). (02.09.2024)

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